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Continued from above... the new airplane, the Model 7 Champion, were laid on vellum early in 1944
and the airplane flew in May of that year. The official designation of the
airplane was 7AC (Model 7, first variation, Champion) and it used the A-65
Continental.
"Built by Aeronca Aircraft Corporation, the Champ first flew in 1944, having
been designed in tandem with the 11AC Chief, the Champ with tandem seating and
joystick controls, and the Chief with side-by-side seating and yoke controls.
The intention was to simplify production and control costs by building a pair of
aircraft with a significant number of parts in common; in fact, the two designs
share between 70% and 80% of their parts. The tail surfaces, wings, landing
gear, and firewall forward? engine, most accessories, and cowling? are common to
both airplanes."
"Selling for $2,095, the Champ outsold the Chief by an 8 to 1 margin. Engine
upgrades in 1948 and 1949 resulted in the Models 7DC and 7EC. Between 1945 and
1950, Aeronca was producing 50 light aircraft per day and by the time production
ended in 1951, the company had sold more than 10,000 Champions. |
